Now IndyGo has some unofficial ridership numbers for the bus rapid transit line for the first eight days. The first day saw 7,985 passengers, while the highest ridership day so far was Friday, Sept. 6, with 10,551 and the lowest day was Sunday, Sept. 8, with 5,012.

How the ridership was collected

For the month of September, rides on the Red Line are free, so there is no need to buy a ticket. Riders get on the bus through any of the doors. Lauren Day, director of public relations for IndyGo, said the Red Line electric buses have automatic passenger counter sensors on all of the doors, which is how it determined the unofficial ridership numbers. Every two counts equal one passenger.

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Riders get ready to get on a Red Line bus at the 66th Street and College Avenue on opening day, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019.(Photo: Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar)

Official ridership data is based on this information and farebox data, or ticketing counts, and is reported to the Federal Transit Administration at the end of each month. Because the ticketing system is not yet in place for the Red Line, the only data IndyGo has is based on the sensors.

These unofficial counts fall short of IndyGo's long-term Red Line ridership goal, which is 11,000 per day. Starting in October, the free rides will end, and passengers will start paying $1.75 per ride or $4 for an all-day pass.

Pull that yellow cord

Contrary to the initial information provided by IndyGo, riders should pull the yellow cords to indicate their stop to the operators. Before, IndyGo said drivers would stop at every station.

Jose Fernandez, left, and Render Thomas, right, join others in a Red Line bus on opening day, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019. Fernandez took his bike on the bus, as he heads to Milktooth to get some coffee, Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar

A rider gets off a Red Line bus at the 66th Street and College Avenue stop on opening day, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019. The bus is supposed to be flush with the station, at the yellow strip, but is a bit off on this stop. Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar

"We want to encourage behavior of pulling the cord to indicate your stop," Day said. "It's common practice on local routes. As we continue to improve bus spacing and reduce bus bunching, we see this as an opportunity for the bus to move more quickly through the station location."

If no one pulls the cord and there aren't people waiting at a stop, an operator will likely keep driving past the station.